


The Ace of Hearts

by Escanor



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual England, M/M, One Shot, Pirate England (Hetalia), Siren!France, frukweek2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 22:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8551612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Escanor/pseuds/Escanor
Summary: The asexual pirate captain thinks sirens shouldn't cause him any trouble. He is somewhat off the mark.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For FrUK week 2016

“Captain, sir! The waters ahead are said to be perilous, and there are rumours of strange creatures that dwell there. They say no one comes out alive!“ 

A short laugh escaped Captain Arthur Kirkland, a foot on the stem, the wind from their racing through the waves snaking through his magnificent hat and blowing his red coat like a cape. He raised his head to gaze at the horizon and their treacherous path ahead.  
“Is that supposed to scare an Englishman?“

-

Clutching a rock, the captain hid his face beneath his arm. His crew had been right to fear this place. It was only a matter of time before he, too, met his end. What a pathetic captain he was, allowing his crew to perish like this. Utterly shameful.

They had prepared for the creatures as thoroughly as possible, given what little information they had. Apparently their beauty could turn even those who had no interest in the fairer sex, so they had taken a hint from the horses that frequented the streets of London and donned strange eye masks, and plugged their ears in the style of Odysseus. Only he had remained unchanged, convinced he could resist them. Finally, the tension reached its maximum as they passed the rock he now clung to, which had been draped in gorgeous young girls at the time. Well, girls was a bit of a loose term. He knew what they were the moment he saw them.

Sirens.

The angelic faces, the likes of which he’d never seen; the long, silky hair that cascaded down their perfect bodies which gently merged with their soft, scaled tails; their flawless skin, ranging in colour from translucent white to opaque black, but all of them shone alike with blue toned scales. He could see how so many were lost here. Although, while captivated by their beauty, he himself felt no desire towards them, just a longing to study their perfection. Remembering himself, he urged his crew on. Unfortunately, the sirens had other ideas. 

Sirens flung themselves upon the deck while others crashed through the hull, having realised their usual approach had failed. They bore long, needle-like fangs and with them began to attack his crew, whose eye guards made it nearly impossible to fight back. Propelling themselves through the air with their powerful tails, the sirens leapt across the deck towards the sailors with formidable accuracy. His sword drawn, Arthur had defended his crew to the best of his ability, until he realised his ship was beginning to sink. He froze. He couldn’t give the order to abandon ship, he knew his crew would be slaughtered the moment they entered the water. The ship began sinking rapidly, barrels were crashing down his bloodstained deck, puddles of blood and gore also trailing down into the sea.  
“Captain!” he heard a yell, but it seemed so far away. “Captain, please! Your orders! CAPTAIN!” What was he to do? Whatever his decision, his crew would be lost.  
“Make for the land.“ he said quietly.  
“Land? What land?”  
“The land.“ Arthur replied. "Damn this sea.”

Suddenly his ship split in two and plummeted into the waves. Arthur and his crew were thrown into the sea, many dying instantly on impact and several more being slaughtered mid air by leaping sirens. Arthur landed with a splash and swam to a nearby rock, the same rock the sirens had occupied minutes earlier. Clinging to it like a limpet, it was all he could do not to break down and scream in that moment.  
   
"You’re still alive. How impressive.“ A silky voice said next to Arthur. He whipped his head round to see the speaker. "Unfortunately, this is the end of the line for you.”  
"You’re beautiful.“ said Arthur. He had put no thought into his words, they just left his mouth the moment he saw the siren facing him. And it was true. The siren was beautiful, though decidedly different from the rest. This one had a more masculine beauty to it, a broad, muscular chest and golden, shoulder length hair in place of the dainty bodies and long hair of his fellow sirens that were currently devouring Arthur’s crew some distance away.  
"Me? They usually go for my sisters, even when they have no such taste in women.” The siren seemed somewhat surprised.  
"I have no such taste in anyone, so I had not expected to fall for a sirens charms, and perhaps that was arrogant of me. But you are beautiful.” Arthur replied. His crew had not opposed his decision to neglect their safety procedures earlier, but it was not their place to question him. Besides, they believed him to be a captain worthy of their respect, having never caught him hiring a whore or flirting with a barmaid, but the truth was, he just never felt the urge. Others had described this lust to him, and it hadn’t taken him long to figure out that he just didn’t have it. He had no desire to kiss or bed. He had experienced infatuation, from time to time, but the few relationships he had had had always got awkward when he refused to go further, and he stopped seeing others altogether. So when they crossed into siren territory, beasts that manipulated sailors using their own lust against them, Arthur figured he would be unaffected, and they would pass through the waters unharmed.  
Unfortunately he hadn’t planned for the fangs that sank his ship.  
"No taste in anyone? I’ve never heard of such a thing!“ the siren protested.  
"Well, it’s true. Though I can appreciate true beauty, which I see in you like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I’m glad I got to experience this before I die.”  
The siren gazed at him in silence for a while, as if he was trying to figure him out. Suddenly he dived back into the sea, and returned a moment later with a large hat in his hands.  
"What is your name, human?“ he asked, handing the hat over and sitting on the rock next to him.  
"Arthur Kirkland, Captain of the- oh, well…. What is your name, siren?”  
"I’m afraid your human tongue wouldn’t be able to pronounce that.“  
"Oh. In that case… I think I’ll call you Francis, after the French. They may be beautiful, but they just seem to want to kill me.”  
The siren stared at him.  
"Arthur…do you really think I’m beautiful?"  
"Yes. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”  
"What about my sisters?"  
"They’re beautiful too, but I don’t feel anything towards them. It's as though they were created to be beautiful, but you were naturally so.”  
"That’s so strange.“ Francis replied. "I’m known as a failed siren. I cannot lure a single human, I’m only here to help clean up. And yet, you…”  
"I’ve always known I was different to other humans when it comes to this. I’ve never had any desire to bed anyone, so I figured your sisters wouldn’t work on me, and though I don’t want to bed you either, I just…You’re beautiful."  
Francis stared at him for another long while. Finally, he spoke.  
"You’re beautiful too.”  
Arthur was lost for words. He had not heard of sirens playing this game.  
"I mean it. You are beautiful. I guess that makes me a doubly failed siren, falling for a human." His blueish skin began to turn slightly pink. "My sisters will finish soon, and they’ll notice you’re still alive. Arthur, come with me. I don’t understand it, but you make me feel something more than a savage hunger. If you hold onto me, I can take you somewhere you will be safe, and we can forget our failures.” He held out a webbed hand. “Will you come with me?”  
“Where could we possibly go?”  
“I don’t know where, but we don’t have any time. Will you come with me, Arthur?”  
Arthur’s attention turned to the patch of crimson water over yonder.  
“My crew…”  
“They’re dead, leave them. Now answer me – will you come with me?”  
He looked towards the siren in front of him, his outstretched hand, scaly blue tail, razor sharp fangs and the cold expression that didn’t fully disguise the hope in his violet eyes. He understood as little as Francis did, but he knew in his heart that is was more than just his will to survive that made him take the sirens hand and say,  
“Yes.”


End file.
